Hi guys, just wanting to know if anyone has this camera or a similar model and their thoughts on not having a viewfinder. Are there situations where you find it difficult not having a viewfinder. eg. photos at night or in bright sunlight. Much appreciated thanks

I handled the FX7 with no viewfinder and I could not get used to not having one. For me, it is dealbreaker because the optical viewfinder helps me to maintain greater stability and control over the camera when I frame my shot and in all lighting situations. Now I admit that part of my issue with a viewfinder is that I have always used one and I am therefore in the habit of using one. When I tried to adjust to using only the LCD, it never felt right to me. I'd hold my arms out away from my body to frame the picture and my arms or hands would start to shake and the photo came out blurry. Panasonics have IS but that alone cannot compensate for the lack of a viewfinder.

If the Panasonic FX series or the newer LX1 had a viewfinder, it would be at the top of my A-list. Ditto for the Fuji F10. So I am looking at the Canon S80 or SD550 instead.

At one time, I wouldn't consider a camera without an optical viewfinder. Then the Fuji F10 came out and I was so intrigued by its high ISO capabilities (noisy images at ISO 400 and above was what kept me from buying a compact digicam for years), that I decided that I didn't want to wait anymore. It doesn't have an optical viewfinder but I personally find the LCDto be very usable in all lighting conditions, even bright sunlight. Yes it's true that the image on the screen is harder to see in those conditions, but for me, never to the point where I wasn't able to compose my shot and critique exposure afterwards.

The nice thing about the F10's LCD is that it is large (2.5 inches), and although it's resolution is relatively low at 115,000 pixels, you can manually adjust the brightness level,the screen"gains up" automatically in low light, and you can also make the screen brighter with the push of a button (which I've hardly ever had to do). If it didn't have these features, I might find relying on the LCD much more difficult.

One situation where you'll be much better off with an optical viewfinder is for continuous shooting when you're tracking a moving subject. After you press the shutter button, the LCD will freeze momentarily as the image is being recorded and that will be enough to lose sight of where your subject has gone.

Would I prefer an optical viewfinder? Yes I would, but theother featuresof my particular camera are so great that I've willingly learned to live without one. To be honest, I haven't missed it all that much.

Iwould recommend handling your camera of interest in a store before you commit to buying it. If they'll let you, take it into a dark room and outside so you can see how well the LCD performs. Find out if the LCD gains up automatically and if you have control over how bright it is; those features will help tremendously.

Thanks for your replies regarding no viewfinder. I am inclined to have one but now I need to know if i't possible to have a 2.5" LCD screen WITH a viewfinder. I like Pentax and love my FZ10 but I want a compact - ultra compact camera. I have plenty of SD cards so no SONY please

Or check out the new Canon SD550 which has a 2.5 LCD, a viewfinder and takes SD cards. If 5 mp are enough then the SD450 is even smaller. Before you choose the Casio Z750 I would read all the threads about a persistent "lens error" problem with this model. dpreview.com forums devoted much time to this discussion.